‘Everybody says that he ran away from the club, but that’s not true. He didn’t put any pressure on the club until we received an offer from QPR for £12.5m, the amount required by his contract.’

Tkachenko revealed Samba was keen to return to western Europe for family reasons, adding: ‘It was linked to the threat that he would lose contact with his children.

‘That was a big blow. He was a guy who loved all of us. And besides, he is a very good defender.

‘I think he is one of the top five defenders currently playing in Europe.’

Samba’s deal with QPR has sparked much discussion of how it will burden the club financially if they do not survive, although Redknapp insists, ‘there will be takers for Samba all day’ should Rangers go down.